Method for treatment of sores and lesions of the skin

ABSTRACT

A composition for the topical treatment of sores, lesions, ulcers, and other disorders of the skin, said composition includes a combination of a bee product and caffeine. The bee product may comprise bee pollen, bee propolis, honey, or royal jelly. Variations of the composition may also contain a tannin. The composition may be in the form of an ointment or cream that is applied topically to an affected area of the body. The composition may also be used in other forms, such as a spray, shampoo, soap, lipstick, or adhesive bandage. The invention may also be useful as a health beverage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to methods for treatmentof sores and skin lesions and, more particularly, to methods fortreating sores and lesions associated with Herpes Simplex Virus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is a common cause of infections of theskin and mucus membranes. HSV is one of the most difficult viruses tocontrol and has plagued mankind for thousands of years. HSV infection istypically manifested by painful, blister-like lesions or sores on themouth or face (oral herpes) or in the genital area (genital herpes).While rarely fatal, herpes sores can be quite painful and unsightly andmay cause embarrassment to the infected person.

[0003] There are two distinct types of Herpes Simplex Virus, HerpesSimplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 andHSV-2 are very similar. They can occur separately or can infect the sameindividual. HSV-1 is generally associated with oral herpes and HSV-2 isgenerally associated with genital herpes. It is now known, however, thatHSV-2 can cause oral herpes and HSV-1 can cause genital herpes.

[0004] HSV enters the body through the skin or mucus membranes followingcontact with an infected person. The virus penetrates vulnerable cellsin the lower layers of the skin and attempts to replicate itself in thecell nuclei. In many cases, HSV never causes symptoms to occur. However,if HSV's replication process destroys the host cells, symptoms in theform of sores, ulcers, and fluid-filled blisters may appear. The soresfrom the primary infection eventually heal without scarring. However,the virus that caused the infection remains in the body and migratesthrough branches of nerve cells to clusters at the nerve cell endscalled the ganglia. The virus persists in the ganglia in a latent state,during which viral replication does not occur. While the virus islatent, symptoms of the virus do not appear. After remaining dormant forsome time, the virus may again begin to replicate, causing a recurrentinfection. Recurrent infections of HSV tend to be milder than primaryinfections and can be set off by a variety of factors, including illnessand stress. For some persons infected with herpes virus, recurrentinfections may be frequent. Approximately 20% to 40% of persons withHSV-1 experience recurrent outbreaks. For persons infected with HSV-2,the recurrence rate is up to 80%.

[0005] Scientist are getting closer to decoding the genetic structure ofherpes virus. At the present time, however, there is no known cure forherpes. Therefore, there remains a need for new drugs and therapies thatameliorate the symptoms of recurrent outbreaks of HSV.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention comprises a pharmaceutical composition fortopical application to treat sores, ulcers, lesions, or other disordersof the skin. The composition has been found to be effective fortreatment of sores associated with Herpes Simplex Virus. The compositionmay also be useful for treatment of chicken pox, shingles, or other skindisorders resulting from viral infections.

[0007] The active ingredients of the composition comprise a combinationof a bee product and caffeine. The bee product may, for example,comprise honey, bee propolis, bee pollen, or royal jelly. Variations ofthe composition may also include tannin as an active ingredient. Thecomposition may be in the form of a cream, ointment, or gell that isapplied topically to the skin. The composition may also be used in otherforms, such as a spray, shampoo, soap, lipstick, or adhesive bandage.The invention may also be useful as a health beverage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention comprises compositions for topicalapplication to the skin including as active ingredients a combination ofa bee product and caffeine. The bee product may, for example, comprisehoney, bee propolis, bee pollen, or royal jelly. As scientist obtain abetter understanding of the how composition works against HSV,compositions according to the present invention may be formed withactive ingredients extracted from honey or other bee products, or withactive ingredients synthesized to resemble the active ingredients inhoney or bee products. Thus, the term bee product as used hereinincludes active ingredients extracted from bee products and activeingredients synthesized to resemble the active ingredients in beeproducts. Variations of the composition may also include a tannin as anactive ingredient.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment, a salve was prepared comprising amixture of honey (preferably raw) and coffee grounds. The salve wasprepared by combining approximately one tablespoon of coffee groundswith enough honey to hold the grounds together. It is estimated that thesalve comprised approximately 15% by weight of honey. The salve wasapplied to sores of one patient caused by type I herpes simplex virus byspreading the salve over the sores and covering the sores with abandage. Following application of the salve to the sores, the sores werereduced significantly in size within 3 to 4 hours and the sores werecompletely healed within 2 days. Prior to treatment with the anti-HSVcomposition, the patient experienced recurring infections once or twicea month. Following treatment, the patient has not had a singlerecurrence of the infection after more than five months.

[0010] Compositions according to the present invention may be made usingmicronized caffeine particles as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,436,which is incorporated herein by reference. Further studies are needed inorder to determine the amount of caffeine and bee product that is mostefficacious. At present, the inventor believes that compositionscontaining greater than 1% by weight of caffeine would be effective.

[0011] The stickiness of honey makes it inconvenient for topicalapplication. Therefore, the composition may include, in addition to theactive agents, a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. Additives suchas oils, thickening agents and emulsifiers may be used to form anointment, cream, lotion or gel that is more suitable for topicalapplication. Examples of natural oils that may be used include corn oil,almond oil, olive oil, coconut oil, caster oil, and lanolin oil.Synthetic oils, such as silicone oil may also be used. Possiblethickening agents include natural waxes such as beeswax, paraffin waxes,and hydrocarbon polymers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,604, which is incorporatedherein by reference, describes various honey-based preparations fortopical application. Preparations described in this patent may be usedwith the present invention.

[0012] The composition may be formed into an ointment, cream, salve,lotion, or gel that is applied topically to the skin. The compositionmay also be used in other forms, such as a spray, shampoo, soap, orlipstick. Another use of the present invention is in adhesive bandageshaving an absorbent pad that can be applied to the skin. Mixtures ofcaffeine and honey may also have use in health beverages that can beingested. Beverages may be used to prevent outbreaks of HSV or otherillnesses, or may be ingested to lessen the effect of an outbreak.

[0013] The mechanism by which the composition inhibits HSV infection isnot known. Caffeine closely resembles adenosine and will bind toadenosine receptors. It is possible that the caffeine binds to virusreceptors used by the HSV and thereby inhibits the replication of HSV.Bee pollen, bee propolis, and bee honey are known to have antioxidant,antibiotic and antifungal properties. Bee products have been used in thepast as home remedies for treatment of wounds, canker sores, mouthulcers and herpes. Bee propolis, which is present in honey, containscaffeic acid phehethyl ester (CAPE). Studies conducted in the past showthat CAPE suppresses the growth of cancerous cells and may, therefore,act as an anti-tumor agent. In laboratory cultures, propolis has beenshown to inhibit the growth of some viruses including herpes andinfluenza. Tannins are naturally occurring plant polyphenols whichcombine with protein and other polymers to form stable compounds. Sometannins are known to have antiseptic, antibiotic and antiviralproperties. Tannins at relatively high concentrations can inhibit theactivity of enzymes. Some tannins also show strong antitumor activity.

[0014] In recent years, combined therapies have become increasinglypopular in combating HSV and research has shown that certain drugs mayenhance the effect of other drugs to produce not only an additive butalso a synergistic effect. Combined therapies known to be effective fortreatment of herpes include trifluorothymidine (TFT) withinterferon-alpha, caffeine with interferon, and dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) with idoxuridine (IDU). It is suspected that the combination of abee product and caffeine produces such a synergistic effect thatinhibits replication of the virus more so than would treatment witheither caffeine or bee product alone. Tannin may also play a role inretaining the active ingredients in honey and caffeine in the lowerlayers of the skin to prevent recurrence of HSV.

[0015] The composition is useful for the treatment of sores and lesionscaused by herpes simplex virus, and may also be useful for the treatmentof chicken pox, shingles or other viral infections.

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition for the topical treatment of sores,lesions, ulcers, and other disorders of the skin, said compositionincluding a combination of: a) a bee product; and b) caffeine.
 2. Thecomposition of claim 1 wherein said bee product comprises honey.
 3. Thecomposition of claim 1 wherein said composition comprises approximately15% by weight of honey.
 4. The composition of claim 1 wherein said beeproduct comprises propolis.
 5. The composition of claim 1 wherein saidbee product comprises bee pollen.
 6. The composition of claim 1 whereinsaid bee product comprises royal jelly.
 7. The composition of claim 1further comprising a tannin.
 8. The composition of claim 1 in the formof a cream, ointment or salve applied to the skin.
 9. The composition ofclaim 1 in the form of a gel applied to the skin.
 10. The composition ofclaim 1 in the form of a liquid or spray.
 11. The composition of claim 1in lipstick form.
 12. A method for the treatment of sores, lesions,ulcers, and other disorders of the skin comprising: a) topicallyapplying a composition containing an effective amount of a bee productand caffeine to the affected area of the skin.
 13. The method of claim12 wherein said bee product comprises honey.
 14. The method of claim 12wherein said composition comprises approximately 15% by weight of honey.15. The method of claim 2 wherein said bee product comprises propolis.16. The method of claim 12 wherein said bee product comprises beepollen.
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein said bee product comprisesroyal jelly.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein said composition furthercomprises a tannin.
 19. The method of claim 12 wherein said compositionis applied in the form of an ointment, lotion, or salve.
 20. The methodof claim 12 wherein said composition is applied in the form of a gel.21. The method of claim 12 wherein said composition is applied in theform of a liquid or spray.
 22. The method of claim 12 wherein saidcomposition is applied in the form of a lipstickl.
 23. A method for thetreatment of a viral infection comprising: a) forming a mixture ofcaffeine and honey; and b) treating said virus with said caffeine-honeymixture.
 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the virus is treated byapplying said caffeine-honey mixture topically to sores.
 25. The methodof claim 23 wherein the virus is treated by drinking a beveragecontaining said caffeine-honey mixture.
 26. The method of claim 23wherein the virus is herpes simplex virus.